Saints should give 100 percent effort

There were some hints thrown out earlier this week and Saints coach Sean Payton may consider at least partially tanking Sunday’s game against Carolina.
I think he’s probably going to be smart about who to play, but not crazy about it.
He better anyway. There’s still a lot to play for on a lot of different levels.
First and foremost, there’s the here and now. The Saints, of all teams, ought not to automatically chalk up a win for the 49ers over the Rams without the game being played.
This isn’t college football. Yes, it would be a long shot, but it’s possible. Truthfully, there’s not a whole lot of difference between Green Bay vs. Kansas City than there is in San Francisco vs. St. Louis.
Both the Packers and the 49ers have been living on turnovers all season long. The Packers didn’t turn over Kansas City once and got beat.
If the Rams can avoid turnovers, they can win.
The worst-case scenario for New Orleans would be the 49ers to get upset and the Saints to give it right back because they’re messing around with how to treat this last game.
Carolina’s explosive enough to beat New Orleans straight up, much less if the Saints are too distracted watching scoreboards.
Look folks, it’s bad enough that the Saints may have blown a Super Bowl trip because of losses to two of the NFL’s worst teams in St. Louis and Tampa Bay. They shouldn’t even consider wasting another chance at a first-round bye.
Then there’s the other incentives. As I’ve said before, I’m not a big records guy. I don’t really care much about individuals. It’s all about the team.
Nevertheless, there are many landmarks at stake here. Drew Brees could give away his season passing record if he doesn’t play enough. Jimmy Graham could break Kellen Winslow’s all-time record for receiving yards by a tight end in a season.
And the offense could break the Rams’ all-time record for total yards in a season. (And I’m sure there are several others than Brees could set that haven’t even been mentioned yet.)
Personally, more important that those records, though, is the all-time series record against Carolina. If the Saints lose this game because they decide to sit players for a half or a whole game, it would be the third time in six seasons New Orleans “hands” a game to the Panthers.
That’s just disgusting.
Without those games, the Saints would already own the series lead. As it stands, a win Sunday would even it at 17-17.
And with Cam Newton just heating up, Brees and Company better get a little cushion, or New Orleans could be playing catch-up for many more years to come.